


Embers and Turtleducks

by flame_hotman



Category: Avatar: Legend of Korra, Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: Alternate Universe - Soulmates, F/M, Soulmate-Identifying Marks
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-05
Updated: 2021-03-05
Packaged: 2021-03-19 03:28:08
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 1,635
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29868450
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/flame_hotman/pseuds/flame_hotman
Summary: “Have you found her?”“Who?”“Your soulmate.”, She looked curious, “Most people find their soulmates by the time they turn 16.”He gulped, he didn’t want to talk about this topic. He strangled out a single word after a few moments,“No.”
Relationships: Bumi II/Izumi (Avatar)
Comments: 8
Kudos: 31





	1. The Beach

Bumi II was a disappointment.

Everyone had soul marks, except him. Tenzin had a lotus flower on his wrist, Kya had a maple leaf on her neck and his parents had an iceberg on their ankle and elbow. 

Everyone got their soulmarks on their body when they turned 5 years old. He still remembers waking up early on his fifth birthday and standing in front of the mirror. He had found nothing on his body and in an attempt to hide his failure as a person, he drew small embers on his collarbone using a red marker. It helped that he’d always had a steady hand.  
He still didn’t know why he chose to render embers on himself. He did like the way fire fluttered, how embers flew in the nightsky, but that was all.

He remembered how his parents had teased him upon seeing his soulmark.

“Maybe you’ll marry Izumi! She’s a year younger than you, isn’t she Aang?” 

“She is pretty cute, now that you’re talking about her. Heh, son?”

He grinned back at his father’s expectant gaze and his mother’s smiling face. He did like Izumi, but of course, the universe hated him. Izumi got her soulmark the next year. It was a turtleduck on her stomach. 

He stopped wearing tank tops and started wearing shirts instead. Even in the hottest summers, he refused to go shirtless. He insisted that he didn’t want many people to see his soulmark till he had found his soulmate. His family accepted his wishes without any questions. It was personal for some people after all.

His secret was going to be revealed though. He was currently sitting in his room, on Uncle Zuko’s Ember Island house. It was sweltering hot and it would soon be impossible to wear his usual attire. 11 years of avoiding being a final disappointment to his parents, and it was going to be ashes.

Their parents had sent them there, to protect them from someone named Yakone. They assured them that they would be alright, Aunt Toph would be okau, Uncle Sokka would be fine.

He wasn’t an idiot though, he knew that Yakone was dangerous. He just hoped that his family would be okay.

“Watcha doing?”

There she was. Crown Princess Izumi. The prettiest person he had ever seen and the kindest too. He turned towards the door and looked at her. She had golden eyes, just like her father while her face resembled her mother’s. She was pale and wearing a deep maroon swimsuit, which only showed her slender frame. And of course, her soulmark. The turtleduck was just beside her navel and slightly on the small side.

“Just thinking whether they’re okay.”

“They defeated my grandfather,didn’t they? They’ll be fine, I know that Yakone is dangerous, but we need to trust them.” , She sat beside him, her hand on his shoulder. It barely grazed the place where he had drawn his soulmark as a child, but action made him flinch.

Her eyes were full of concern, “Bumi, it’s pretty hot in here. Are you sure that you’re okay? We can go to the beach, you don’t need to get into the water or anything. I was sitting in the shade myself.”, her hopeful tone made him hate himself even more.

He nodded, if only to make her happy. “Just give me a minute to change will ya?”

She smiled warmly at him and went out of his room. 

Confident that nobody was around, he slammed the curtains together and shut the door. The tunic was taken off within seconds and he always kept a marker in his bag. He stood in front of the mirror and drew his soulmark. Satisfied with his work, he changed into a pair of shorts and trudged outside. 

Izumi wasn’t joking, his room was much hotter than the rest of the house. He blamed the direct sunlight hitting the window in his room.

He could see little Suyin patting down the sand surrounding her. Tenzin was talking to Lin who making castles with her earthbending. Kya was playing in the ways, using her waterbending to aid her. Izumi was sitting under an umbrella, reading a book. He sat down beside her without any warning. She glared at him before realising who it was.

“Have you found her?”

“Who?”

“Your soulmate.”, She looked curious, “Most people find their soulmates by the time they turn 16.”

He gulped, he didn’t want to talk about this topic. He strangled out a single word after a few moments.

“No.”

“Me neither.”, This time her eyes showed sadness and was it, fear, which he could see?

“I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have asked. It’s rude to ask. Atleast your soulmate’ll know that you care deeply for them. I don’t think I’ve seen anyone be so protective over their soulmark like I’ve seen you.”

Before he could reply, Suyin screamed with all the grace and power a toddler could possess, “BUMI BUMI BUMI! HELP ME MAKE A SANDCASTLE PLEASE!!”

He shrugged his shoulders and went to help Suyin. 

Izumi’s eyes narrowed for a split second and then widened. She glanced at Bumi, and then at her stomach.

Later that day after dinner, Bumi went back to his room with the intention of going to sleep as soon as humanly possible.

He pushed the door and found Izumi sitting on his bed, looking at him with- with empathy he guessed.

“What do you want Izumi? I’m way too tired right now.”

She walked towards him and stared him in the face.

“You don’t have a soulmark.”, her accusation was sharp, yet not painful.

His eyes widened in horror. He glanced at his his covered collarbone without thinking. Before he could deny the truth, she had already opened his shirt’s buttons. 

It was unmarked.

“Don’t tell anyone. Please, I’m already the non-bending son of the Avatar, I can’t disappoint the world further.”, the words had slipped past his mouth smoothly. Izumi wouldn’t betray him, would she?

“I don’t have a soulmark either.”

What?

**What?**

Any thoughts which were about to become words had vanished from his brain. It was like everything had stopped. She lifted her top to show him unblemished skin. 

“I drew them on me, because while mom and dad wouldn’t care, the Fire Nation would.” 

“I’m not alone.”, he muttered, because that’s all what mattered right now. Everything would be fine. 

“No we’re not alone.”, And with that she closed the minisule distance between them. 


	2. The Dinner

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Bumi and Izumi decide to tell everyone the truth.

“I don’t have a soulmark”

After the Yakone trial was over, the adults came to pick them up from Ember Island. Mom, dad, Uncle Sokka and Aunt Suki all came here from Republic City. Uncle Zuko and Aunt Mai came from the Fire Nation Royal Palace. Aunt Toph was still in Republic City, she had deal with the aftermath of the Trial.

They were currently having dinner together after a long time, and were talking and bickering with each other. Seeing a no better opportunity, Bumi told everyone the truth.

All conversation, came to a stop. Tenzin, Kya and Lin looked at each other and then at him. Suyin was too young what was going on. Uncle Sokka and Aunt Suki looked slightly pained. His parents set down their chopsticks and stared at him. Aunt Mai and Uncle Zuko open their mouth and then shut it again. Izumi was looking at him with affection, which went unnoticed by everyone other than him.

“What?”

“I’m saying the truth. I don’t have a soulmark mom.”

“How? You showed it us on your birthday-”, His father quietened when he saw Bumi’s expression.

“Everyone has a soulmark. I didn’t want to be different.”

“Bumi, it’s okay if you don’t have soulmate, we still love you. We’ll always love you. ”, His mother tried consoling him.

His siblings nodded and said, “Of course we will Bumi.”

His father said in what he thought was a comforting tone, “You don’t need a soulmate to be happy.”

Izumi stood up. Everyone turned to look at her.

“Bumi said that he doesn’t have a soulmark. He didn’t say that he doesn’t have a soulmate.”

Mai asked in a measured voice, “Is there anything you need to tell us, Izumi?”

Izumi nodded and lifted her top to show everyone her abdomen. Where one could see a turtleduck just a few hours ago, it was unblemished skin right now.

Everyone gasped, they looked at him and then Izumi, the gears clicking in their heads.

“You’re soulmates.”, Uncle Sokka said with an aura of wonder.

“Yes.”, Izumi comfirmed.

Zuko finally found his voice, but it was all strangled and near sobs, “Why did you, **both** of you, need to do this? We would have loved you either way. Your soulmarks- Why?”

Bumi replied, “We didn’t want to be known as freaks. I’m still worried, when we’ll tell everyone that we’re soulmates we’ll have to tell them the truth.”

“I’ll take care of it. If anyone bullies either you, call me, I’ll rough them up.”, Lin spoke for the first time in the conversation.

His father nodded, “Of course, that’s for the adults. Don’t worry.”

Bumi swallowed all the words on his tongue. What did he mean by ‘don’t worry about it’? The both of them had been worrying since the day they had turned five! But he saw Izumi’s face and his expression softened.

“So, congratulations you two! I’m glad to know that we’ll finally be relatives when you get married!”, Aunt Suki broke the tension.

Izumi blushed furiously, “I’m 15! Can we talk about weddings later!”

Everyone smiled and Uncle Sokka nudged Bumi with an evil grin on his face. 

“The Crown Princess of the Fire Nation! Not bad kiddo.”

He saw Izumi smiling at him, and suddenly everything was going to be fine.


End file.
